FACTBOX-Irene power outages leave nearly 5 million in the dark

Reuters Staff

4 Min Read

Aug 28 (Reuters) - Nearly 5 million homes and businesses along the U.S. East Coast faced a night without electricity on Sunday as Tropical Storm Irene, downgraded from a hurricane, continued to wreak havoc on power grids in New England even as it weakened, according to reports from power companies.

New York City avoided the extensive damage and power loss that had been feared. For more see [ID:nN1E77R00E].

While Irene’s visit took less than a day, work to restore power will likely take weeks and cost millions.

As skies cleared and high wind retreated, some utilities along the eastern seaboard began sending workers to assess damage. Utilities normally spend the first hours after a storm looking at overall system damage so proper equipment and workers can be dispatched when restoration work begins in earnest.

“With the passing of the storm, the damage assessment has begun,” John Bruckner, president for National Grid’s Long Island transmission and distribution services, told reporters.

Utility line crews and tree trimmers will converge on storm-damaged areas. Many customers will have power restored in the first 24 to 48 hours, but full restoration is likely to take weeks, utility officials warned, due to flooding.

Outages in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine jumped to nearly 1 million customers as the tropical storm headed north toward Canada.

Irene also left thousands of other coastal residents served by electric cooperatives and other public power agencies without service.